Car-wheel.



Noss0,sss. PATENTED SEPT. 4, 190.6. J. 'A. PILGHER & W. w. LBMEN.

(LAB WHEEL.

APPLICATION FILED APBJ'I, 1806.

w .m n w u 3 Witnesses atbouwv UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CAR-WHEEL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 4, 1906.

Application filed April 7, 1906. Serial No. 310,536.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN A. PILoHER and WARD IV. LEMEN, citizens of theUnited States, residing at Roanoke, in the county of Roanoke and Stateof Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inCar-VVheels, and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,and exact description of the invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Our invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in flangedwheels for railroad-cars, particular reference being had to chilledcast-iron wheels.

It has for its object the production of a wheel with a much strongerflange than the wheel now commonly used in the same class of service forwhich this Wheel is intended without materially increasing its weight.This is accomplished by so disposing of the metal used as to bring alarge portion to that part adjacent the flange, thus lengthening theusual line of fracture or cleavage which occurs in connection with abroken cast-iron wheel-flange.

It is a matter of common knowledge and experience with those who usecar-wheels that of Wheel breakages causing damage the breakage of theflange is the most serious as well as the most frequent. This troublewith broken flanges has become very much more frequent and serious sincethe recent use of very large capacity cars. So serious is this questionof flangebreakage that some large owners are considering the question ofthe use of expensive steel wheels in the place of cast-iron. The mostobvious method of strengthening the wheel-flange would be to make itthicker. This, however, is prevented by the limitations already set byguard-rails, frogs, &c., which could not be changed without enormousexpense and inconvenience.

Our observation of the fact that in every case of a broken wheel-flangethe line of fracture or cleavage is not a line parallel with the tread,but a line more nearly normal to the tread, has lead us to the methodhereinafter described of obtaining the strong wheel-flange within thelimitation already set by the allowable flange thickness.

The deep chilling of the wearing-surfaces of cast-iron wheels is verydesirable, as it adds much to the lifetime of the wheel. Ourobservations of broken flanges from chilled This localizes the cast-ironwheels have shown that the grain of the iron in chilling sets normal tothe surface exposed to the chillers, rendering it.

much more easily broken than when not chilled. The desirablydeep-chilled surface therefore renders the flange much more easilybroken from the wheel than if it Were not chilled. This direction of thegrain of the chilled iron also largely influences the direction of theline of fracture or cleavage. Our invention overcomes this seriousobjection to the desirable deep chill by placing against it for supportan abundance of strong unchilled gray iron. The observation of thesesame facts has brought about the method of strengthening the flange ofthe wheel by adding metal to the rim inside, toward the center of thewheel, of the treadline and extending beyond the back of the flange, asillustrated in Letters Patent N 0. 788,677, dated March 2, 1905. Thelength of fracture or cleavage is in this case, however, largely limitedby the thickness of the rim or tread section, the increase of which isentirely undesirable on account of the correspondin ly large increase inthe weight and cost of the wheel.

It is almost universal practice to make the treads of railroadequipment-wheels slightly conical. The purpose is to prevent the flangesof the wheels from rubbing against the rail when running on straighttrack in case there should be a slight difference in the circumferenceof the two wheels mounted rigidly on one axle, also to help in passingaround a curve. This conical surface bears on top of a rail which hasits top surface parallel with the center line through the axle.

ressure between the wheeltread and the rai at a point on the wheeltreadclose to the flange. these stresses also has a large influence in thebreakage of flanges from the wheels, as is readily seen from closeobservation.

Our invention so disposes of the metal used as to bring a large portionto that part of the wheel thus strained, and in this manner limits orprevents the flange failure or break age from this cause.

Our invention is designed to accomplish the results and overcome all thedifliculties as already recited. It consists, specifically, in extendingthe arch-plate or Web of the wheel from the hub to that part of the'rimopposite the flange and reinforcing the flange by a portion integralwith the rim and arch- This localizing of IIO ' havingthe usualcore-openings and showing our improvement. Fig. 2 is a similar sectionofa wheel formed of a single web-plate and also embodying ourimprovement. Fig. 3 is aview similar to Fig. 1, but showing the webplateitself projecting beyond the back of the flange. Fig. 4 is an insideelevation of a modification in which the reinforce to the flangeisproduced by extending brackets beyond'the'flange, and Fig. 5 is across-section on'the-line X X'of Fig. 4.

Similar reference-numerals indicate like *partsinthe several figures ofthe drawings.

1 is'thehub, 2 the chilled tread portion or rim, and 3 the web orarch-plate, whether single or double and all cast integral. The 'archpla'te or'web 3 joins the tread portion or rim oppositethe flange 4, asclearly shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, and constitutes a bracethereto.

'5 is a circumferential reinforce back of the flange 4 and inside of thetread of the wheel. The broken lines a 1) indicate the somewhatwariableline of cleavage which occurs in the flange when broken and indicatesthe desirability and advantage of the reinforce 5, which necessarilyincreases or prolongs the cleavage-line, and consequently greatlydecreases theliability of breakage.

In the construction shown at Fig. 3 the web 'or arch-plate at the pointof juncture with'the tread or rim section 2 projects beyond the flangeand constitutes in itself the reinforce to the flange, substantially thesame as the'circumferential reinforce 5. (Shown in'Figs. '1 and 2.)

"On the inner side of the wheel brackets 6 may be provided to giveadditional strength, if desired, and 7 shows the brackets usuallyemployed in car-wheel construction.

WVith the web or arch-plate extendingfrom the hub to a point back of theflange, as shown, and with the reinforce projecting beyond the flange,it will be readily understood that the line of cleavage of the flange isextended'without regard to the thickness of the rim or tread and thatthe wheel as a whole maybe thus made very strong without materiallyincreasing its weight. Consequently 'it' does not become necessary, aswould be the casein wheels of the usual construction, to thicken thetread-section in order to increase orlengthen the line of cleavage inthe flange,

which increased thickness would greatly 1ncrease the weight of metal inthe wheel and consequent cost.

In the modification shown at Figs. 4 and 5 the reinforce 5 is producedby the brackets 6, which can be either curved, as shown, or radial, orof any curved form terminating in a circumferential plane back of theflange and constituting separate reinforces at predetermined distancesapart and which may in many cases be sufficient to produce the resultssought, although we prefer either the construction shown at Figs. 1 and2 or Fig. 3.

The web or arch-plate is shown attached to the rim in the usual locationfor wheels having the usual brackets on the inside; but it is attachedat a point nearer the face of the tread than the inside of that portionof the rim opposite the flange, and hence, as will be readily seen andappreciated, the increased quantity of metal employed in the rim ortread section is located only at the oint where it is needed tostrengthen the ange and to lengthen'or increase the line of usualfracture or cleavage, which occurs in case of a broken flange, withoutmaterially increasing the weight of the wheel or the corresponding cost.

WVe do not wish to be limited to any particular design or weight ofwheel, as'it may be varied in these respects without departing from thespirit of our invention, which resides in the broad idea of increasingor lengthening the line of cleavage of the flange by a circumferentialreinforce below the tread of the wheel and integral the web orarch-plate to thus lengthen or extend the usual lines of fracture orcleavage.

Having described the construction and advantages of our improved wheel,what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A car-wheel formed of a single piece of metal having a rimconstituting a tread-section; a flange on the rim a web or archplateextending from the hub to a point opposite the flange; and means forreinforcing the strength of the flange, comprising a body of metalintegral with the rim and web or arch-plate, and projecting beyond theback of the flange, substantially as hereinbefore set forth.

2. A car-wheel formed of a single piece of metal having 'a rimconstituting a tread-section; a flange on the rim; a web or archplateextending from the hub to a point opposite the flange and terminatingin, and forming a projection beyond the back of the flange,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. A car-wheel formed of a single piece of metal, having a rimconstituting a tread-section; a flange; a web or plate extending fromthe hub to a point opposite the flange means for reinforcing the flangecomprising a body of metal integral with the rim and plate andprojecting beyond the back of the flange; plate, and projecting beyondthe back of the and a series of brackets on the side of the flange,substantially as hereinbefore set forth.

wheel and integral with the rim and plate, In testimony whereof we havesigned oiu' substantially as hereinbefore set forth. names to thisspecification in the presence of 5 4. A car-wheel formed of a singlepiece of two subscribing witnesses.

metal, having a rim constituting a treactsec- JOHN A. PILCHER;

tion; a flange; a web or plate extending from WVARD W. LEMEN.

the hub to a point opposite the flange; and Witnesses:

means for reinforcing the flange comprising C. C. THoMAs,

10 a series of brackets integral with the rim and l P. M. NOELL.

